Strengthening Hawaii's CommunitiesKukio Community Fund

The Kukio Community Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation was established in 2001 as a way for Kukio members to connect with the surrounding Hawaii Island community through meaningful charitable giving opportunities.

With assistance from HCF, the Kukio Community Fund finds the best organizations and schools increasing youth success on Hawaii Island and supports their critically important work. By supporting education and youth development, the Kukio Community Fund is increasing the success of local youth in school, in work, and in life.

The fund focuses on the young people of Hawaii Island because their success has a ripple effect on the entire community. A recent survey of Kukio employees revealed that most of the schools receiving grants through the fund are attended by Kukio employees’ children. By nurturing the ethos of the whole island, the fund aims to make it a better place for their neighbors and employees to live and thrive.

$2 million in grants to Hawaii island nonprofits and schoolS

Over the past 4 years, the Hawaii Island community has benefited from over $2 million in grants through the Kukio Community Fund. Of the 25 schools on the island receiving grant support, most are attended by Kukio employee families. Many of the nonprofit grantees offer educational and social enrichment that expands what students receive in schools. Often, these dynamic programs are led by collaborations between schools, teachers, community volunteers, and local nonprofits.

What We Do and How We Work

“The Kukio Community Fund grew out of a shared belief in the value of partnership and a common desire to connect with and support our local community. We believe in working together to really make a difference rather than just going it alone.” — Grant Heidrich

Kukio residents and local community leaders volunteer their wisdom, time and funds to lead the growth and oversee the grants of our fund. The committee is led and facilitated by Hawaii Community Foundation’s Hawaii Island-based staff who provide a local, professionally-managed, and cost effective mechanism for the fund’s grantmaking and operations.

“By establishing the Kukio Fund as part of the Hawaii Community Foundation, we gained access to quality opportunities on Hawai`i Island and optimized our chance to do the most good.” — Carl Carlson

“The value of giving goes so much farther in Hawaii and the impact is especially felt here on Hawaii Island.” – Dawn Zierk

In 2017 over $600,000 was raised and distributed thanks to contributions from Kukio members.

INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY: STEAM Learning on Hawaii Island

An incredible range of educational programs are blossoming across Hawaii Island, stemming from remarkable partnerships grounded in a common goal – helping our students discover the possibilities of innovation, creativity and technology. What started in November 2014 with a $200,000 annual sponsorship from the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) THINK Fund has been transformed into the Hawaii STEM Learning Partnership, distributing over $2.2 million to Hawaii Island over the past three years. In 2017, nine donors, including Kukio Community Fund, have teamed up with HCF to catapult the program forward, enabling unique education opportunities across Hawaii Island.

“Pooling resources around this common goal supports schools and nonprofits developing new approaches to further learning,” said Lydia Clements, Director of Neighbor Islands at HCF, “so that our youth will succeed in the 21st century workforce.”

Programs receiving support focus on key elements of interdisciplinary STEAM learning including:Providing teachers with training and tools so they can encourage innovation and create inquiry-based, student-centered learning;Local, place-based activities that teach STEAM through the lens of ‘āina (land) and nature; andHands-on, team-driven projects that test ideas and develop real-life solutions.

Grantees reach and support over 12,000 Hawaii Island youth and 900 teachers.

Elama Project at Palamanui

With help from the Kukio Community Fund, Elama Project was launched at the Hawai‘i Community College Pālamanui campus in 2015. The Elama Project assists students in attending and successfully completing their first year of college and beyond.

The Elama Project provides academic counseling, peer mentoring, college readiness workshops and assistance navigating daily transportation or childcare, in addition to 100% of tuition, books and fees. The program served 20 students in its first year, and nearly doubled that number in year two. The ultimate goal is to serve 300 participants per year, by 2019. With an initial grant of $75,000, the Kukio Community Fund seeded the program and the committee plans to help raise the awareness and funds needed to grow the program through its critical first 3 years – a total of $750,000. “With the extraordinary involvement of our members, we felt ready and excited to increase our commitment level by adding this program to our community investments and encouraging support,” Previous Kukio Community Fund co-chair Benjy Garfinkle says. “We can do this, and it will change lives right in our backyard.”

The program is part of a statewide 13th Year Initiative launched with support from Kukio members Jim and Lynn Lally and based on research showing that on average students attending at least one year of college earn 30% more income, are 29% less likely to be unemployed, and live seven years longer. “Hawaii’s community college leaders have developed this program driven by the belief that our state has a special obligation to provide educational access to everyone. Just look at the statistics, we can’t afford not to,” says Jim Lally. “We’re delighted that the Kukio Community Fund is generously supporting the new Palamanui campus in this effort.”

When it comes to higher education, West Hawaii is one of the most underserved areas in the state. Non-degree jobs make up 47% of the Hawaii Island workforce, but those positions do not provide enough income for economic self-sufficiency. By 2018, 65% of Hawaii’s jobs will require a post-secondary education, but only 40% of Hawaii Island students are currently enrolled in college.

The campus opened for Hawaii Community College at Palamanui offering a state-of-the-art learning environment and providing greater access to higher education in West Hawaii. The campus was made possible through considerable leadership and funding support from Charles Schwab, the Hunt Brothers, Jim and Lynn Lally, and many other motivated community members like Carl Carlson and Ross Wilson.

The Kukio Community Fund focuses on the young people of Hawaii Island because their success has a ripple effect on the entire community. By supporting education and youth development, we are increasing the success of local youth in school, in work, and in life. The Hawaii Island community has benefited from over $2 million in grants through our Kukio Community Fund. Much of this funding has been concentrated in two high-impact youth program areas – Elama Project at Palamanui and STEM Learning (science, technology, engineering, and math).

“A huge thanks to everyone who contributes and gets involved! Together, we are making a difference,” Chair of Kukio Community Fund Dawn Zierk says. “The Elama Project will offer students a strong foundation for a new life, and helps to offer their families a better, and more productive future.”

Kukio Employee Scholarships

The Kukio Community Fund believes that young people deserve the opportunity to succeed and began offering scholarships to further the education of college bound Kukio employees and their dependents in the 2017-18 academic year. We see this as an investment in the future—for scholarship recipients and the local community.

Apply Online:

The scholarship application period is currently closed and will reopen in November 2017. Applications are completed online through Hawaii Community Foundation at www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org. You MUST indicate that you are an employee/employee dependent of Kukio in the Affiliation Questionssection of the application to be considered for the Kukio Employee Scholarship. The Hawai‘i Community Foundation has over $4 million available for scholarships from more than 200 scholarship funds that you will be considered for with the one online application. You will be asked to submit a personal statement, Student Aid Report, and grade transcript.

Must be a current Kukio employee and receiving benefits for at least a one-year period, or dependent child of an employee as noted.Must be taking a minimum of 6 credit hours.

Administration and Selection:

Hawaii Community Foundation has extensive experience in scholarship administration and will manage all aspects of the Kukio employee scholarship. This includes processing and reviewing applications, notifying students and colleges, handling award distribution and more. Applicants will also have access to more than 200 other scholarship funds through HCF’s single online application and may be considered for additional scholarship monies. Applications are screened and sorted for eligibility with those funds whose criteria match the candidate. The number of awards and award amounts may vary depending on the number and needs of applicants, but we anticipate Kukio Employee Scholarships to be offered up to $4,000. Students are notified of their award status between April and July. Scholarships are paid directly to the school the student attends, usually in two payments, one for fall semester and one for spring semester.